This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

It might surprise folks who live outside of Southern California to know that Los Angeles actually has its very own County Fair. It began in 1921 as a "merchant's exposition" held along the Southern Pacific Railway in downtown Pomona, which was a big success. October 1922 was the date of the first offical L.A. County Fair, where (among other things) you could see chariot races and a thrilling display of "wing walking". Nowadays you'll see all of the things that you'd expect to find at a county fair!

The monorail seen here debuted the year that this photo was taken. It consisted of 14 electronically operated passenger cars, seating 24 people. The track circled the fairgrounds for a total distance of about a mile.

In 1990, ten new 40-seat monorail cars and a boarding station were added as the monorail system was renovated, only to be torn down and removed in 1996.

1 comment:

Musiken
said...

I worked at the LA County Fair from 1980 through 2000. The "New" monorail was much heavier than the old one and thus it began to compromise the track. When this was discovered, it was very quickly dismantled and no one at the fair was to talk about it! It was a great ride, however.